


Cabin Fever

by neversaydie



Series: To Boldly Go [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Bucky Barnes is a little shit, Captain Steve Rogers - Freeform, Chief Engineer Tony Stark, Chief Medical Officer Sam Wilson, Communications Officer Natasha Romanov, F/M, M/M, Sam Wilson is So Done, Science Fiction, Science Officer Bucky Barnes, Starfleet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 23:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7594063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neversaydie/pseuds/neversaydie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Captain's Log, stardate 2246.5</i> </p><p>Our diplomatic mission to Nova ended smoothly. Nova Prime and the Antaran diplomatic envoy have begun to hash out a trade deal and no longer require Starfleet to act as a neutral third party. We're heading to the Galiway trade hub to restock the ship and release the crew on an extended ten-day shore leave. Some of the crew are starting to get cabin fever with leave being delayed by almost a month now. Such delays are unavoidable, but I can't blame them for feeling cooped up when I, myself— </p><p>  <i>"Steve, c'mon already. This synthale ain't gonna drink itself."</i></p><p>Anyway, we should arrive at Galiway sometime within the next twenty-four hours. Hopefully everyone should be less antsy after they blow off a little steam, including the officers. </p><p>That's all for now. Rogers out. </p><p>[Star Trek AU, first in a series]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cabin Fever

**_Captain's Log, stardate 2246.5_ **

_Our diplomatic mission to Nova ended smoothly. Nova Prime and the Antaran diplomatic envoy have begun to hash out a trade deal and no longer require Starfleet to act as a neutral third party. We're now heading to the Galiway trade hub to restock the ship and release the crew on an extended ten-day shore leave. The Nova mission took longer than expected, and some of the crew are starting to get cabin fever with leave being delayed by almost a month. Such delays are unavoidable, but I can't blame them for feeling cooped up when I, myself—_

_"Steve, c'mon already. This synthale ain't gonna drink itself."_

_Anyway, we should arrive at Galiway sometime within the next twenty-four hours. Hopefully everyone should be less antsy after they blow off a little steam, including the officers._

_That's all for now. Rogers out._

"Buck." Steve smushes a lazy kiss to his bare shoulder, but Bucky just grumbles something unintelligible and clings to him tighter. They're in Steve's quarters, because neither of them were on shift last night so they could make use of the bigger bed, and the cabin lights are already coming up in accordance with his artificial circadian rhythm.

The light doesn't seem to bother Bucky, though. But he's been a heavy sleeper since way back in the Academy (he infamously slept through the time a cadet managed to crash his hovercycle into their dorm building and set off every alarm in the place), so Steve's not exactly surprised.

"I gotta be on the bridge in ten minutes, babe." He tries again, voice rough with sleep where he's already hit snooze on his alarm three times. He finds it harder to sleep on the ship, the lack of natural time passage and the sense of permanent, artificial twilight leaves him relying on supplements and an enforced circadian cycle to get a decent amount of rest. So he hadn't felt guilty about sleeping in after being up late the night before, but it means he doesn't have time to snuggle now.

Which his second-in-command takes exception to, obviously.

"You're on medical leave." Bucky mumbles irritably, shoving his face into Steve's chest and making an annoyed noise when he jostles him laughing. It's even harder to rouse him when they're in Steve's bed, since he keeps the quarters a few degrees above regular cabin temperature, and Bucky's clearly in no hurry to wake up today. Especially not after the synthale and _calisthenics_ they got through last night. "I signed you out."

"Yeah, I don't think 'dick withdrawal' is on the no-fly list." Extricating himself from the cling of First Officer Octopus gets even more difficult when said First Officer throws a leg over Steve's hips so he's caught in some kind of wrestling hold. It's been a while, but Steve's still pretty sure they don't teach this one at the Academy. "Sam wasn't amused by that form, by the way. You're gonna get us in trouble one day."

"He won't get you in trouble." Bucky snorts. It's true, Sam and Steve have been close since their first placement together as ensigns, and the ship's Chief Medical Officer isn't about to tattle on him to the administration for fraternising with the crew. Not when Steve lets him do whatever the fuck he wants as long as everyone stays alive at the end of the day.

"No, but he'll get _you_ in trouble." Which is also true, because Bucky and Sam have a much more mutually antagonistic relationship. Not helped by the fact that Bucky encourages Steve in the reckless shit that ages Sam about five times faster than normal (asteroid hopping near Terra II, that was the latest _fiasco_ ), which leads Sam to end every 'this mission is fucking stupid y'all are crazy' rant with 'but send Barnes and see what happens'.

"I got security footage of him and Nat banging in sickbay. Mutually assured destruction."

It's not that they're not _allowed_ to be together, per se, it's that Captain Rogers isn't supposed to be fraternising with a subordinate. Bucky might be the closest thing on the ship to his equal in rank, but it could cause them trouble if someone at Starfleet decided to make an issue out of it. The main problem, however, is that couples aren't generally allowed to serve on the same ship (maintaining objectivity, commitment and focus on the job, etc), and _especially_ not as Captain and First Officer. Someone could _really_ make a political point out of it if Steve pissed them off, and Steve tends to piss people off without trying too hard.

So they might be an open secret among the crew, any of them with eyes and most of the ones without, anyway, but they're definitely still a _secret_.

"I'll bring you coffee when I get a break if you let me up." Bribery usually works, and this time Bucky cracks one eye open and squints up at Steve, waiting for him to sweeten the deal. "With Terran creamer?"

"And sugar. And I want the real stuff, no replicator crap." Comes the counter-offer that's not really an offer, since Bucky is already grudgingly moving his leg so Steve can wriggle out of his arms.

"When did you start giving me orders, Commander?" It's a rhetorical question, because they both know that while Steve might be in charge on the bridge, he's definitely not Captain in the bedroom. Bucky doesn't bother to answer it as a result, whining unnecessarily when Steve gets out of bed instead.

"I'm gonna get some raktajino as soon as we hit the surface." Bucky rolls over and buries his face in the pillows, letting out a deep, longing sigh. Caffeine has pretty much replaced his blood since the second or third week of leave delay, especially after Barton came down with Gungarian flu and he had to take over shifts at the helm, so Steve's not surprised he's fantasising about it now. "Why can't we replicate it anymore?"

"Because the Klingon ambassador—"

"I'm smuggling it on. Arrest me." He perks up a little at that, rolling back over to offer his wrists up to Steve with a sleepy leer. "Slap the cuffs on, Cap."

"I'm gonna put you in the brig if you're not careful." Steve rolls his eyes, hunting around for a clean uniform shirt because he hasn't had time to do laundry in-between shifts recently. As tempting as the idea of putting some old, Earth-style metal handcuffs on his boyfriend and going to town is, he really doesn't want to be late again.

Lieutenant Romanov shoots him the most _knowing_ looks when he shows up late and rumpled to the bridge. Vulcans are somehow totally transparent when they want to be, especially when they want you to know they're judging you.

"S'long as I get conjugal visits, I don't care." Bucky reaches out and grabs the mostly-clean gold shirt Steve's found under the bed, yanking it out of his hands and stuffing it under the pillow. Steve rolls his eyes and goes to take it back, hardly surprised when Bucky uses the leverage to pull him back down onto the bed.

"Buck, c'mon." He tries not to give in, but Bucky's so warm and pliant and the cabin air is so cold compared to his skin. "Romanov's gonna give me shit for days if I'm late."

"You got ten minutes." Bucky gropes his ass shamelessly, and Steve has no idea where his uniform pants are right now and he can't remember why he cares. "We're going on leave tomorrow, half the crew's already hungover as fuck today. They won't miss you for ten minutes."

"And what exactly d'you plan on doing to me in ten minutes, Commander?" Steve gives into the inevitable, because a horny Bucky is about as stubborn as a Golaric acid mule and this isn't a fight he's going to win. Not even if he pulls rank, because off the bridge Bucky couldn't give a single shit about that.

"Just relax and lemme show you, Cap." Bucky smirks and rolls them over, getting on top and kissing his way down Steve's neck in a way that kills any remaining protest he might have even bothered to try and make.

It _is_ the last day before leave, maybe he can let protocol slide a little. Just for ten minutes.

When Captain Rogers arrives on the bridge a full fifteen minutes later, Lieutenant Romanov does indeed give him a Look from the communications post. The Captain has a hickey purpling obviously under his jaw, because he hasn't had time to go by the sickbay and beg Sam to give him a pass with the dermal regenerator before he has to make nice with the Galiway co-ordinator when they dock, and he rubs his neck self-consciously as he takes his seat and tries to look like he's not ashamed at slinking in late and rumpled.

"Heavy night, Cap?" Barton glances over his shoulder at Romanov as he asks, and Steve has no proof that they've developed a telepathic link but he'll go to his grave believing it.

"I couldn't find the Commander in his quarters last night, Mr Stark said he was probably with you." Pietro, fastest pilot in the fleet but obnoxiously young and green with it, also looks back to grin at the Captain. Steve hides the mark on his neck with his hand, because he wouldn't count on Pietro being old enough to know for sure what a hickey is. "You drink some Romulan ale, sir?"

"A little more than anyone should, Mr Maximoff." Steve mutters, shooting Natasha a look that he could swear makes her smirk (she insists Vulcans don't smirk, but they fucking _do_ ) before he raises his voice and tries to whip the crew into shape. "Alright, c'mon everyone. We're set to dock at Galiway in approximately twelve hours, then we're all going to get some well-deserved R and R. Let's keep it together until then. Warp three, Mr Barton."

"Warp three, aye aye Cap." Barton takes them ahead, and Steve settles back into his chair with a silent sigh as the bridge trundles on around him.

Twelve hours until he can get the hell off this ship for a few days and be something other than the Captain for a while, until he can spend the morning in bed with his boyfriend without being judged by poly-linguistic Vulcans and precocious baby pilots. He can't fucking wait.

**Author's Note:**

> First in a series, let me know what you thought!


End file.
